Trump Rally Canceled Before Descending Into Chaos

Donald Trump’s rally in Chicago was canceled amid safety concerns this evening after an entire section of attendees turned out to be protestors, sending the arena and surrounding area into chaos.

Trump never actually made it to the University of Illinois at Chicago arena where the event was supposed to take place, which is now apparently surrounded by thousands of protestors and supporters clashing with police.

Altercations were already taking place even before the event was canceled, however. From the Associated Press:

Before the announcement the event wouldn’t take place, a handful of intense verbal clashes took place between Trump supporters and protesters as the crowd waited for his arrival. For the first time during his White House bid, the crowd appeared to be an equal mix of those eager to cheer on the real estate mogul and those overtly opposed to his candidacy.

When one African-American protester was escorted out before the event started, the crowd erupted into chants of “Let them stay!”

In the video above, the reporter notes that there’s “not a lot of law enforcement is visible. Perhaps they’re... in here. But not a lot of law enforcement visible.”

One Chicago resident tells us, “Congressman [Luis] Guitierrez was major in organizing protestors.”

[There was a video here]

Long before the event even started, hundreds of protestors and supporters alike were lined up, separated from each other by an equally large swatch of police officers and barricades. According to the Associated Press, “Some Trump supporters walking into the area chanted, ‘USA! USA!’ and ‘Illegal is illegal.’ One demonstrator shouted back, ‘Racist!’ One protester, 64-year-old Dede Rottman of Chicago, carried a placard that read: ‘Build a Wall Around Trump. I’ll Pay for it.’”

It’s also worth remembering how Donald Trump responded to Bernie Sanders simply having his microphone briefly taken from him by Black Lives Matters protestors, as The Washington Post points out. The incident took place last August, when Trump offered “That will never happen with me. I don’t know if I’ll do the fighting myself, or if other people will. It was a disgrace.”

Well, Donald. You had your mic taken from you. I guess you chose to go with “other people.”

Update 9:06 p.m.

He speaks!

I just got off the phone with the great people of Guam! Thank you for your support! #VoteTrump today! #Trump2016

A spokesman for the Chicago Police Department has told the Associated Press that the police never actually told Trump’s campaign that there was a security threat nor did they recommend he cancel the rally. What’s more, “Trump never arrived at the Chicago venue.”

Why Trump said that his meeting with law enforcement is what prompted him to decide to postpone the rally “for the safety of all of the tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena” is anyone’s guess—because surely President Trump wouldn’t lie to the people.